Tag: CMS

Medical coding Audits

Medical Coding Audits: Trends and Guide for Providers

The landscape of medical coding audits is constantly evolving.  Staying informed about these trends and implementing best practices can significantly reduce stress and ensure a smooth audit experience. The Shifting Landscape of Medical Coding Audits Traditionally, medical coding audits felt like a lottery. Providers faced the uncertainty of random reviews, often scrambling to address issues […]
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HCPCS Level II Codes

HCPCS Level II Code Updates for July 2024

The HCPCS Level II quarterly update for July 2024 is now available on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. The update includes: 134 added codes 9 discontinued codes 32 codes with long description changes 3 codes with payment changes New HCPCS Level II Codes Effective July 1, 2024, there is one new […]
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 2025 CMS Proposed Rule

Proposed Rule for inpatient and LTCHs for FY 2025

2025 CMS Proposed Rule: Announcing this week a proposed rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) for the fiscal year of 2025 (FY), federal officials cited an increasing focus on social determinants of health (SDoH). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also prioritized improving maternal health and strengthening emergency preparedness, which noted […]
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Prior Authorization Reform Rule Proposals

CMS Unveils Contentious Prior Authorization Reform Rule Proposals

Physicians and healthcare experts are urging Medicare to lead reforms in the time-consuming prior authorization (PA) process, which often causes delays in patient care. However, they caution against excessive reform, as it could exacerbate the problem rather than improving it. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have put forth two proposals for […]
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2024-Medicare-OPPS-Rule

2024 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rules

The OPPS proposal lacked any mention of several prominent issues that industry leaders have eagerly awaited reforms on. Yesterday, federal officials introduced two sets of proposed rules, which included possible revisions to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for the 2024 calendar year. Within the PFS proposed rule alone, […]
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Rules for Coding Emergency Department

CMS Rules for Coding Emergency Department Claims | Best Practices

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has consistently authorized hospitals to establish and utilize their own coding guidelines for emergency department facility claims. CMS makes clear that “[a]s long as the services furnished are documented and medically necessary and the facility is following its own system, which reasonably relates the intensity of hospital […]
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IPPS-LTCH Rule

Proposed IPPS/LTCH Payment Update for FY2024

The agency proposes to strengthen the ties that bind payments to quality data reporting. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued, April 10, the Inpatient Prospective Payment System/Long-Term Care Hospital (IPPS/LTCH) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2024. If finalized as written, inpatient hospitals and LTCHs that do not successfully report quality data […]
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